Thomas, WV –This second segment of winning photographers from Cortland’s annual photography contest includes winners from Elkins, Summersville, and Derry, Pennsylvania.
Kilsong Cox; Elkins, West Virginia
A veteran of Cortland’s annual photography contest, Kilsong Cox has submitted winning entries for three years. Using a Sony A7R ii, A7 iii cameras with various Sony lenses, the 4+ year hobby has become an obsession.
“Mountain vistas and waterfalls in West Virginia are my favorite subjects to photograph,” explains Cox. One of Cox’s winning entries this year, “Top View from Seneca Rocks,” was taken on a beautiful Saturday hike with her son Brian.
“One time, I took a photograph of a deer while she was eating my flowers and another shot of an apple popping out of a deer’s mouth.” Sometimes, the best photographs are about being in the right place at the right time.
“My words of wisdom for anyone wanting to get into photography would be to follow your heart,” remarks Cox. Nasim Mansurov wrote in Photography Life that anyone interested in taking better photographs should take their camera everywhere; you never know when a fantastic shot will present itself. Also, take lots of pictures of the same image; you’ll have more options to find the perfect shot. Another tidbit of advice to consider is changing your perspective when taking photographs; shooting from ground level or from above to create more interest.
Anne M. Johnson; Summersville, West Virginia
“Although I have been taking photographs since I was a teenager, I have been a professional photographer for 11 years,” explains Anne M. Johnson. Using a full-frame camera, the Nikon D810 and Nikkor 16-35mm lens, Johnson has had two previous entries selected to be displayed on the walls of Cortland Acres.
“My favorite subject is evening and nighttime photography,” states Johnson. “During evening photography, I’m enchanted by the warm tones, and the unique light, color, and patterns. When I photograph at night, the cosmos floats millions of miles away, and I can bring it closer to home for myself and others to view and enjoy.”
According to Johnson, in her winning entry, “Fiery Kiss of the Night,” she found her composition thirty minutes before sunset. “After the sun inched below the horizon, I waited several minutes for the color to appear. During evening shoots, I view the sunset in front of me and check for color behind me. When I turned around, I saw that the entire sky was lit up in a fiery blaze. I turned around to recompose the rocks and flag the spruce in the foreground. Never before had I seen such color at Dolly Sods.”
Taking photographs can be transformative, an escape from the uncertainty from COVID, politics, you name it. When you find the perfect scene, everything else melts away, and the composition is your only focus. “One winter day, I slid down a snowy embankment to take a photo of a waterfall,” remembers Johnson. “The water’s spray froze my hair into long ice cycles. I crouched on an icy slab of rock to create a foreground. When I was finished, I stood up quickly, not noticing the large fallen tree directly above me. The top of my head crashed into the tree, and I immediately felt a painful knot forming. Later that spring, I photographed the same waterfall, hunkering down under a log. When I finished shooting, I jumped up and again hit my head on that same fallen tree. I had to laugh at my forgetfulness as another knot formed on the top of my head.”
Words of wisdom from Johnson stress patience. “When taking photos, be patient enough to wait for what you want to capture. Be willing to go that extra mile and get up early or stay late. Push yourself, even though you don’t like cold or damp weather. Take some healthy risks to get what you want.”
Bob Stough; Derry, Pennsylvania
A photographer for over twenty-five years and a backcountry explorer for almost forty years help Bob Stough capture amazing Appalachian landscapes. “My favorite subject to photograph is the wild landscapes of the central Appalachians,” explains Stough. “I want to share the beauty of these places with other people in the hope that they will come to love and cherish them as I have and be motivated to protect them from future developments.”
Using a Canon 6D and several Canon lenses, Stough is a first-time entrant to Cortland’s photography competition. “My winning entry, “Autumn Light on North Fork Mountain”, required climbing up onto the cliffs of North Fork Mountain, then making sure I captured all the light from that moment in time and processing it to be as accurate to the scene as I could.”
For anyone wanting to take up photography or improve their compositions, Stough’s words of wisdom are especially revealing. “I never forget that what I am photographing is not any particular scene or object, but the light reflecting or radiating from it, and I always try to be true to the light.”
While COVID may have changed how Cortland presents their 2020 photography winners, the prints continue to be spectacular. As with previous years, both large- and small-scale prints from 2019 are available for purchase. The prints previewed in this article will be available for purchase in the fall of 2021. Please visit the Cortland Acres website at www. https://www.cortlandacres.org/2019-prints-for-sale or contact Dan Bucher at (304) 463-4181 for more information.